Jazz Journalists Association Recognizes Its Musicians Of The Year

Herbie Hancock speaks at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Induction Ceremony 2013 at Harvard University. The JJA awarded the pianist with a Lifetime Achievement Award on Tuesday.

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Longtime friends and collaborators Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter headline the winners of the 2014 JJA Jazz Awards for musical achievement, which were announced today.

The awards, annually nominated and voted upon by members of the Jazz Journalists Association, recognize individual musicians, ensembles and recordings of the calendar year 2013. (I did not vote this year.) Hancock's prize was the exception: The pianist and composer received the Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Award. Shorter, the saxophonist and composer who turned 80 last year, was named Musician of the Year; his live album Without A Net was also named Record of the Year, and his quartet was the Midsize Ensemble of the Year. A complete list of winners is available online.

Many of the awards went to well-established artists, including composer and bandleader Maria Schneider (who won in several categories), trumpeter Terence Blanchard, trombonist Roswell Rudd, saxophonist Joe Lovano, violinist Regina Carter and guitarist Bill Frisell. Some newer faces did emerge, notably 24-year-old vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant, who won both Female Singer of the Year and Up-And-Coming Artist of the Year.

The JJA will pass out the awards to the winning musicians at public performances. Its awards for journalism and media will be announced at a ceremony in June. A Blog Supreme is nominated in the Blog of the Year category.